Researchers Explore Ways to Reduce Road Accidents in India

Researchers at the University of Birmingham and the Indian Institute of Technology (IITD) in Delhi have completed a preliminary simulation study of road accidents in India.

Research Fellow Dr. Ali Hassan, a crash analyst in the University of Birmingham’s School of Civil Engineering is working with Prof. Anoop Chawla, of the IITD, on the project.

Dr. Hassan and Prof. Chawla carried out a preliminary simulation study of head injuries to drivers in passenger cars involved in frontal impacts. They are now validating this model by using data from real world passenger car collisions.

Road accidents have been the focus of a pioneering research partnership between Birmingham and New Delhi since 2007.

Over the past two years, researchers have been exploring biomechanics of road traffic injury - for example, how speed, force and the way people move during an accident affect the outcome.

A study to simulate a pedestrian collision with a passenger has also been completed by a post graduate student.

The Birmingham Automotive Safety Centre, based at the University has more than 40 years’ experience in traffic accident investigation and analysis and is particularly strong in the study of passenger car collisions. The IITD is active in accident data collection, analysis and simulation in biomechanical testing – which it carries out with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi.

“The outcome of this exercise will therefore be beneficial for both centres,” says Dr. Ali Hassan. “The UK, meanwhile, will improve its knowledge of motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, which are much more common in India and are starting to become a significant factor in the UK.”

“We hope the data we obtain will bring about greater understanding of accident and injury,” adds Prof. Chawla. “While gaining greater knowledge about how and why road accident injuries occur, we hope to develop new safety measures.”

The project is funded by the UK India Education Research Initiative (UKIERI).